Readiness Rounds - Blog , Visitor & Entrance ManagementReadiness Rounds - Blog , Visitor & Entrance Managementhttps://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/visitor-entrance-managementThu, 09 Apr 2026 11:30:43 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[The Biggest Questions Regarding Visitor Management Systems]]>https://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/post/the-biggest-questions-regarding-visitor-management-systemsHere are the answers to four questions that our experts most often field about visitor management systems.]]>

Restrictions are easing and we are taking steps toward pre-pandemic normalcy.


Even so, those in healthcare are using this breather to shore up their entrance management strategies.

Certainly, the pandemic has taught us that entrance management is the future of risk control.


However, given the speed at which the coronavirus occurred, early entrance management systems were makeshift and remained such due to sheer lack of time to research and implement better solutions while in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic.

With hindsight being 20/20, why wouldn’t we implement the most rigorous and thorough visitor management system at healthcare facility entrances to be best prepared for what the future holds next?


We have learned much about the importance of visitor management systems in relation to preventing disease spread, reducing stress and demand on healthcare workers, meeting regulatory mandates, and improving community perception and patient care. For decision-makers in healthcare environments, the key putting is to put their already-acquired knowledge to work building an entrance/visitor management strategy that future-proof.

Well Screen was introduced to the healthcare market during the early months of the pandemic.



Since that time our experts have partnered with healthcare professionals in a variety of roles to safeguard their facilities with a comprehensive visitor management system. Regardless of where they fall in the selection, implementation and execution stages of putting a visitor management solution in place, at one point, they had similar questions for our experts.





The four questions that our experts most often field about visitor management systems:



1. Why do we need more than an automated temperature scanning device?

We’ve seen facilities’ security go off track when they focus too narrowly on just the temperature scanning process. Temperature screening needs to be a part of the process, but it can’t be the only measure of security. A robust visitor management system includes much more than any single measure, like a temp screen, to provide the best possible safety.

2. Realistically, approximately how long does it take to put together a visitor management strategy?

Depending on your sense of urgency and resources available, the process typically takes about 30 days. In that timeframe, you can complete an 11-step evaluation, build the strategy, gain approval and get your deployment plans in place.

Note - the 11-step evaluation covers:

  1. Scope
  2. Entrances
  3. Workflow
  4. Integration
  5. Equipment
  6. Wellness screening
  7. Visitor management
  8. Notifications
  9. PPE
  10. Regulatory requirements
  11. Dashboards and reporting

For more about the evaluation process, download our eBook, 11 Steps to Building an Intelligent Entrance Management Strategy in a Post Pandemic World.

3. Since facility structures are unique and visitor management crosses many departmental lines, who is “in charge” of the visitor management system at the end of the day?

Ownership of the solution can fall in different areas for different facilities. In a long-term care setting, the responsibility generally falls inside the care of the nursing structure. In acute care, security is always integral to the process, so security then manages the process. In other situations, it is patient experience, the quality department, and occasionally the admitting department. However, the key takeaway is that if you have a solid strategy in place, the organizational responsibility can land wherever it fits in your particular culture.

4. Of visitor management systems that offer several reporting options, which reports are most important?

To get a clear, top-level view without feeling buried in data, the following are generally most important:

• The trends of arrivals by employee and provider volumes, visitor volumes, vendor volumes and outpatient volumes.

• Allocation and distribution of resources, especially when it pertains to rush hour times to make sure resources are being used efficiently, and not being drained at low peak times.

• The temperature distribution over time of the population entering the facility.

Again, we know protective measures work, and vaccines will make a big difference.

However, similar to the flu, COVID-19 is unlikely to disappear and will more likely become a virus from which we must collectively and continually protect ourselves, especially the most vulnerable amongst us.

Nationally, there is polarity on whether widespread protective approaches are necessary, which can lose any ground gained in risk reduction.

Protective measures then must be an important part of healthcare’s responsibility.

Healthcare leaders must have sustainable protective measures confidently in place to not only continue fighting COVID-19, but also future infectious diseases.

If you'd like to see how an entrance management solution could help keep your facility safe, efficiently, contact us to set up a free meeting.

]]>Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:51:44 -0600<![CDATA[CAUTI & CLABSI: Ending the Blame Game]]>https://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/post/cauti-and-clabsi-ending-the-blame-gameHere are the answers to four questions that our experts most often field about visitor management systems.]]>

As professionals in healthcare, we are taught and trained to heal, not harm. But when poor patient outcomes occur, who is to blame? The short answer is “everyone.” Whether you’re a front-line nurse, a department manager, the Director of Quality, or the CEO, YOU are to blame when your hospital fails the patient.


At this point, you may be asking “How am I to blame? I wasn’t the caregiver on the floor who made the error or mistake!” The truth is that it doesn’t matter – blame takes many forms and equally touches everyone in the hospital setting, no matter what their role may be.

Certain infections, such as CAUTI and CLABSI that are acquired in the hospital setting, have become so commonplace that they are now considered to be a routine complication of care, so much so that in the last several years, CMS, TJC and many other regulatory and patient safety bodies have put into place best practices and infection prevention guidelines for healthcare staff to follow. But have these processes and recommendations actually improved the overall occurrence of infection? Perhaps they have. At least that’s what the multitude of journal articles and newsletters lead us to believe.

Many of the professional articles that we have time to read (or at least skim through) give us the facts and the figures of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), then provide suggestions for implementing a “perfect world process” within our facilities. Everyone working in healthcare knows that their time is strictly limited and that implementation and maintenance of a multidisciplinary, large scale project is difficult to accomplish, at best.


Could the solution be as simple as a checklist? Of course! Checklists help staff ensure that they remember to take all necessary steps and precautions when performing rote tasks, such as indwelling catheter insertion and they also make clear the required and expected steps in complex processes such as inserting central and peripheral intravenous lines, thereby reinforcing adherence to established protocols. They also provide a sense of confidence to the staff that know that they are providing not only appropriate, but safe care to their patients.


Checklists are simple and proactive tools that can be used by anyone within the organization that will provide real-time data that pinpoints straight to the area/s where performance improvement is needed the most. In addition, routine use of the checklists will help show if implemented initiatives are successful or require redesign. Used wisely, they can help an organization transition from the endless “blame game” resulting from poor outcomes towards a culture of accountability and overall improvement in patient safety and the quality of care provided.

DOWNLOAD OUR SAMPLE CAUTI CHECKLIST SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Isn’t it time to stop pointing fingers and take action? Download and take a look at the CLABSI and CAUTI checklists that Readiness Rounds offers. Built using CDC and TJC guidelines, as well as APIC, SHEA, and IDSA prevention strategies, these checklists may be just the solution your organization is looking for!


 

]]>Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:51:44 -0600<![CDATA[Creating a Culture of Safety Starts at Your Entrance]]>https://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/post/creating-a-culture-of-safety-starts-at-your-entranceNow more than ever, healthcare facilities are implementing or upgrading their visitor and entry management systems.]]>

Now more than ever, healthcare facilities are implementing or upgrading their entrance management systems to safeguard people and enhance aspects of the check-in process.

In fact, staff, patients, visitors and vendors expect there to be precautionary health and safety protocols in place at entrances. These protocols are the cornerstone of creating a culture of safety.


It’s become clear that manually administering these protocols or using disparate entrance management solutions is a drain on staff and resources, as well as a problem where time and confidentiality are concerned. It’s also evident that the right solution plays a critical role in HIPAA regulation compliance, safe patient handling and minimizing risk of illness and disease spread.


For healthcare facilities today that are committed to a culture of safety and being compliant, implementing a full-scale, customizable, fully automated entrance management system, such as Well Screen, is critical.

Well Screen bundles:

• Access systems for employees, patients and visitors
• Customizable symptom screening for your facility
• Critical PPE Management
• Real-time reporting

Well Screen not only automates entrance management, but also quickly completes the check-in and visitor badge.

The Importance of Visitor Badges in Your Culture of Safety

When visitors enter your healthcare facility, your entrance management solution should also include a visitor badge printer. For optimal security and protection, visitor badges should display name, photo, destination, time, date and visual expiration.

Well Screen’s visitor badge printers customize badges with your facility’s logo and the visitor’s photo, along with any barcodes, text and numeric values needed for security and regulation.

On-demand printed badges assist with managing visitors by helping:

• Control visitor access points
• Minimize fraudulent use
• Restrict access to sensitive and hazardous areas containing medicine and equipment
• Protect your vulnerable patients by knowing who has entered your facility

Well Screen uses an expiring badge in which a built-in color-sensitive sticker is placed. Within a 24-hour period the built-in sticker turns red as a visual notification of expired visiting hours, adding another layer of safety to managing your entrances and visitors.

An Entrance Management System is a Visual Emblem of Your Commitment to a Culture of Safety

Rigorous infectious disease management is the new operational reality. Monitoring people prior to entering your healthcare facility is the new normal.

Significantly enhanced entrance management systems designed to protect people entering healthcare facilities are here to stay.

While COVID-19 ushered in an era of entrance management unlike anything we’ve seen since air travel screenings after 9/11, a fully automated and comprehensive solution is needed to keep staff, patients and visitors safe without the need to completely halt people who enter your facility.


A culture of safety is one in which everyone is protected as best as technology allows and doesn’t underestimate the power of visiting loved ones.


Today, it’s no longer a question of if you need an entrance management system, but rather which one.

Well Screen automates the most important protocols, so when the next virus comes, you will be ready and your culture of safety in place.


Schedule a free call to discuss Well Screen's ability to help your entrance management needs.

]]>Mon, 21 Apr 2025 23:14:25 -0600<![CDATA[500,000+ Lives Could’ve Been Saved in the U.S.’s COVID-19 Losses]]>https://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/post/500000-lives-couldve-been-saved-in-the-us-covid-19-lossesYes, indeed, I’m saying it. Embracing a series of common-sense approaches in the U.S. would have saved more than 500,000 lives.]]>
Yes, indeed, I’m saying it. Embracing a series of common-sense approaches in the U.S. would have saved more than 500,000 lives.

After waiting nearly two years, I have been lucky enough to once again visit family and friends in New Zealand.

The experience is jarring.


Since March of 2020, I closely followed New Zealand’s and other countries’ approaches in the media. Still, experiencing firsthand how different the approach here in New Zealand is compared to the U.S.’s has been inspiring, exciting, humbling and saddening.

Seeing up close the results of an initial and ongoing approach that puts concern for the public’s health first evoked in me a surprisingly strong and personal emotional response. Are there differences of opinion? Certainly. Are these differences in the context of protecting public health? Absolutely.

Experiencing what other governments and the public can do compared to how we in the U.S. have allowed our national leadership to manage the process so very poorly was, and still is, very unsettling for me on a personal level, as well as for those who’ve unnecessarily lost loved ones.

Yes, more than 500,000 could have been saved. And, Americans could have been going about their daily lives, like I’m doing in New Zealand.

                         After being released from a 14-day managed quarantine, I have been able to enjoy all of the following without fear or any reservations about potential health risks:
  • Hug family and friends
  • Not constantly be on guard about people social distancing near me
  • Join a large crowd to view the Van Gogh Immersive Experience
  • Mingle easily and freely with others
  • Go to the supermarket without wiping down the shopping cart
  • Attend a sold-out live theatre event at 2,400-person capacity
  • Not wear a mask
  • Live life pretty much like normal

                         And, I lived like this in a country that has a below 5% vaccination rate.

COVID-19 Statistics in New Zealand

The Colossal Size of the U.S.’s Failure to Lead


It is very difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the U.S. government’s failure to lead, manage and protect our citizens. Our national leadership is most surely directly accountable for a huge death toll. Especially since the strategies adopted here in New Zealand are predominantly common sense, rather than mandates.

Our inability to see and act on proven, basic safety strategies is stunning when you look at the U.S.’s response from a 100,000-feet level.

Using New Zealand’s death rate per million (5) and applying that to the U.S., the U.S. death rate could’ve been fewer than 2,000. That’s not a typo.

Here is the math:

  • New Zealand population: 5 Million
  • Total COVID deaths: 26 (Not a typo, either)
  • Death rate per 1m population: 5
  • U.S. lives saved at this rate: 598,000
  • % of population fully vaccinated: Less than 5%

If you want to discount New Zealand ( (Aotearoa) as too small and too isolated to be a relevant and fair comparison to the U.S. (and, we will certainly look for quick excuses), similar strategies in Australia have produced a death rate per million of 35. Applying that rate to the U.S., we would have kept deaths below 12,000. Also, not a typo.

Still unconvinced? Take a look at Taiwan and Vietnam.

If you still believe the U.S.’s approach was at least adequate enough and there’s nothing that could’ve plummeted our death rate, stop reading this blog.

However, in my opinion, did Americans suffer under massive leadership incompetence? Certainly. Is it manslaughter on our leaders’ parts? Arguably.

Why Have We Stopped Caring?


“If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." – Mother Teresa

In the USA, we have become numb to death, making us unable to grasp the size of this colossal failure. Are the more than 100 gun deaths a day a serious problem? Yet, only mass shootings gain national attention and only for a short time as we watch leaders offer thoughts and prayers then move to the next story on our screens.

The COVID death rate, which is dramatically higher, is almost totally ignored now. We are declaring victory while still averaging a daily COVID death rate of over 500.


More reading:  A Failure of Empathy

The Goal is Elimination, not Mitigation or Suppression

The early and clear objective of elimination sets other countries’ approaches apart from any U.S. national thought process.

When you look at the examples in New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and Vietnam, remember that elimination was achieved without vaccines. This proves that elimination is possible. Yet, the widely held belief in the U.S. is that containment, not elimination, is all that is possible, and vaccines are the single answer.

What the Heck Did These Other Countries Do?

The answers are found online in reference articles. A few key points are:

Borders: In March 2020, the borders were closed to all non-citizens or non-residents. All goods entering country were checked thoroughly.

Elimination: In March 2020, an elimination strategy was adopted, forgoing more typical suppression or denial strategies.

Alert System: A four-stage, easily understandable alert system (based on existing wildfire alerts) outlining required measures was developed rapidly.

Conventional Precautions: Handwashing, masks, social distancing, bubbles, and health attestations strategies were heavily deployed and, in some instance, remain in place. In New Zealand today, everyone wears a mask in an Uber, on a plane, in a bus and at any healthcare facility. There is obviously some contradiction in this masking approach.

Lockdown: They came early and hard. Common sense, along with a clear look back at previous epidemics carried the day. The scientific community was fully engaged, listened to and respected throughout the process. Cautions were reiterated immediately on signs of a resurgence.

  Communication: Straight from the New Zealand Herald:

“New Zealand's "team of 5 million" has been endlessly credited for the quashing of Covid-19, but how did our leaders unite us when scientific evidence was being ignored elsewhere?”

"We've been widely and rightly praised for having an evidence-based response to the pandemic, but our response wasn't just about facts and numbers," Dr. Courtney Addison said.

"It reflects profound ideas about right and wrong, about life worth, and about what we owe each other as citizens.”

                An example of the communication:

After putting her daughter to bed, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern hosted a Facebook live Q&A focused on coronavirus. Ardern implored New Zealanders to remain in self-isolation, while explaining the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country will go up, but not to be discouraged.

Testing: Extensive testing was in place early and maintained.              

Quarantine: A 14-day mandatory quarantine is supervised by the military and police for anyone entering New Zealand. I was released on May 17th. It is not well done, it is very well done.              

First, I had to get past my emotional response of being in an environment where every possible effort was being taken to protect the health of all individuals.

Then for 14 days, I had to put up with three outstanding meals I chose from a widely varying menu delivered to my room each day. And of course, as it is New Zealand, morning and afternoon tea were offered as well.

How was my accommodation? A picture is worth a thousand words.

COVID Tracer App (launched May 20, 2020): NZ COVID Tracer is a mobile software application that enables a person to record places they have visited in order to facilitate tracing who may have been in contact with a person infected with the COVID virus. Using a QR code assigned to every business and location, the app has nearly 3 million registered users and today recorded nearly 500k scans. Scan and Bluetooth are deployed.


Many are not using the app anymore. It’s hard to maintain interest when there are 22 active cases nationwide and all are in quarantine. Importantly, there is a sustainable national infrastructure in place that can immediately pivot to widespread usage at the earliest signs of a resurgence.


Vaccines: Vaccinations have commenced and are being actively promoted.

Six Lessons the U.S. Can Learn and Should Apply

  1. Put public health and safety above partisan divides. It’s a big ask, but needs to be part of the discussion.
  2. Build or rebuild a sustainable infrastructure to respond to threats. Also, we need a “real” contact tracing process because a pandemic will happen again.
  3. Celebrate and encourage the progress that the vaccines have brought, but also remember that other countries have eliminated COVID without vaccines.
  4. Fix and sustain the supply line issues.
  5. Study what has worked elsewhere; even the differences because there is a lot to learn by comparisons as well.
  6. Clamp down on process to access healthcare facilities with intelligent visitor management systems.

Schedule Your Free Consultation
]]>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:09:40 -0600<![CDATA[Healthcare Embracing Entrance Management Systems]]>https://www.readinessrounds.com/blogs/post/healthcare-embracing-entrance-management-systemsAll of the protocols associated with visitor management have clear and direct results in preventing infectious diseases from spreading. That’s key.]]>

While much of the public is enjoying a pretty-close-to-normal summer, healthcare professionals are still in the trenches, caring for COVID-19 patients and doing their best to prevent the virus and variants from spreading amongst them, other patients and visitors.

Restrictions are eased and nonessential businesses are open; however, stagnate vaccination rates, increasing COVID-19 outbreaks from the delta/delta plus variants and the unknown of the future are making it difficult for those in healthcare to get back to life as usual.

If one field is a shining example of how to reopen safely, its hospitals and healthcare facilities because they never had the luxury of shutting down.

What is working for them in mitigating disease spread?

They are embracing better entrance management systems. And, they are using this respite before whatever the fall and winter brings to evaluate their entrance management systems and their approach to visitor management.


Considering it’s essential to keep healthcare workers safe and prevent healthcare facilities from becoming epicenters of disease spread, it’s no wonder that entrance management systems are being employed on the front line of defense against COVID-19 and viruses to come.


A New Operational Reality for Entrance Management


There is no doubt that how people enter healthcare facilities is changed forever. Now and going forward, thorough screening of everyone entering is the operational reality.


We designed Well Screen, a customizable entrance management system, to stop the spread of disease at the door by automating tasks associated with heightened safety protocols that are here to stay.

Problems With Temperature Screening


Temperature screening was one of the first widespread precautionary measures adopted to prevent the spread of COVID-19.


The problem, for those in healthcare and everyone else, was that it was slow to conduct, required close proximity and wasn’t a panacea for detecting infected individuals. Despite these issues, temperature screening is still an important aspect in screening against infectious diseases.

Well Screen automates temperature checks. The process is touchless and accurate. Plus, for staff, there is the convenience of mid-shift rescreening and single swipe re-entry.

Should entrance be denied, Well Screen displays on-screen and prints a hard copy of next-step instructions specific to your hospital or practice. Then, designated personnel receive real-time notifications of any flagged individual with a temperature.


Symptom Screening in Seconds


Well Screen kiosks feature a resistive screen to perform a touchless wellness symptom screening following a temperature scan.

Across the country and around the world, there are varying vaccination and case rates, which makes having customizable questions imperative.

Well Screen offers the opportunity to customize questions to fit your area’s or facility’s needs, including which states the individual has recently visited, as well as presenting them in a choice of multiple languages.

The entire screening process takes seconds, and the system can be set up in multiple configurations to suit a facility’s layout.

The Convenience of a Mobile App


Screening and checking in staff is simple and easy with the downloadable app. Employees download the app and use it to check in prior to their shifts.


Those who do not pass symptom screening, will be denied entrance and management will be alerted in real time of denials and of those who forget to perform the screening process.


The Better the Entrance Management System, the Better We Control and Minimize Disease Spread


The measures taken to control and minimize the spread of diseases cannot be siloed. To effectively combat virus infections, comprehensive screening must be performed at the entrance.

Similar to attacking a disease with a course of treatment, an entrance management system cannot skip a screening protocol if it is to be effective in knocking out virus spread.

By implementing and sticking to the screening precautions Well Screen automates, healthcare leaders can turn their entrances into frontline of defense against COVID-19 and the inevitable viruses to come.


Schedule Your Free Consultation
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